Honoring the Legacy of Jim Burke
Jim Burke was a pioneer in the automotive industry and a civic icon in Kern County. His drive and passion for education, healthcare, and youth opportunities only exceeded his business prowess. Being a third-generation Bakersfield native, he was devoted to making Bakersfield the best it could be. Since 1949, Mr. Burke has been associated with the automobile business in Bakersfield, guiding Jim Burke Ford to become one of the largest dealerships in California.
In 1975, in the spirit of always looking at how he could help and serve others, Mr. Burke decided to create The Ford Dimension, a select student group of achieving high school seniors who were able to take an inside look at his businesses, meet with local civic leaders and volunteer their time to helping others. Directed by his daughter, Mikie Hay, the Ford Dimension grew into a premier youth leadership program, instilling one of Mr. Burke’s principles: you only succeed by serving others. The program, a testament to his commitment to youth development, continues to this day, and there are over 600 alumni. The Ford Dimension program will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025.
Mr. Burke’s commitment to serving others extended throughout the Bakersfield community. Not only did he create the Ford Dimension, but was also the co-founder of Project 2000, the most successful program in the United States to decrease high school dropout rates and increase college attendance rates. He was also greatly influenced by the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious order focused on meeting the special needs of others. This association led him to help build Madison Place, a model for sustainable low-income housing. He also created the Friends of Mercy Foundation and served as its first director.
During his lifetime, he served as an officer/director of Mercy and Memorial hospitals, Kern Economic Development Corporation, Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, Bakersfield Downtown Rotary, and founding member and past president of the Cal State Bakersfield Foundation, to name just a few. With his long-standing commitment to improving educational opportunities for youth and his lifetime service to others, he was honored in 2003 by the Ford Motor Company with the “Salute to Dealers” Award, which honors a dealer who uses their time and resources to help those in need. He also received their most prestigious recognition, The Chairman’s Award, for the dealership’s commitment to outstanding customer service.
Jim Burke’s family has deep family ties to Kern County. Mr. Burke worked tirelessly to help and guide the growth of the Bakersfield community. This was mainly due to his family roots and being one of the founding families of Kern County. He grew up on the Standard Oil lease and graduated from Kern County Union High School. He attended Stanford University for one year before joining the Navy during WWII. After the war, he returned to Stanford, graduating in 1948, and married his high school sweetheart, Bebe Rinker, in 1950. Their only child, Mikie, with her husband, Dan Hay, and children Joe, John, George, and Kristen Ford, continue the family tradition at Jim Burke Ford. Although we lost Mr. Burke in 2006 at the age of 80, his spirit of Service Over Self carries on through his family, the Jim Burke Education Foundation, and the students and alumni of the Ford Dimension and Dream Builders programs.